Philip Lelyveld runs the Immersive Media Initiative at the University of Southern California’s Entertainment Technology Center (ETC@USC), a think tank within the School of Cinematic Arts. The ETC@USC is funded by the six major Hollywood studios plus related service, technology, internet, and consumer electronics companies to advise them on emerging technology-related opportunities, connect them with start-ups and communities of interest, help accelerate adoption of promising technologies, and work to drive standardization and avoid format wars.

His VR/AR Initiative studies and works to influence the creative, technical, social, and business issues that will shape this new, emerging art form. Phil is currently working on the rapidly evolving ecosystem that includes immersive media, IoT, AI, and blockchain. He is producing a series of Immersive Media Challenges; asking current students and recent grads to come up with ideas for experiences that are not possible today but could be in 3-5 years, and to describe what it will take to get 'from here to there.'

Philip has produced events that brought communities of hands-on practitioners together to discuss and document the current states of ‘the emerging language of VR storytelling,’ ‘live VR production workflow,’ ‘the business of VR,’ and ‘Spatial Audio,’ as well as AR Salons. He presented ‘The Dark Side of AR’ at Augmented World Expo, ‘Legal Questions Raised by Immersive Media’ at the Law and Culture in Virtual Worlds Conf. at Case Western Law School, Entertainment Technology and ‘fake news’ before the European Union at their 2018 commission hearing; “Preserving Democracy in the Digital Age” and to the NATO Strategic Communications leadership, and “Think like a (f)uturist” at Siggraph 2019 as a keynote speaker.

Phil also consults on emerging opportunities and product strategies for companies in the entertainment, consumer electronics, and other industries on his own and with Lawnmower Man director Brett Leonard and Digital Domain founder Scott Ross.

Prior to the VR/AR Initiative, Philip oversaw the Next Generation Display (‘UHD TV Plus’) Project and managed the Consumer 3D Experience Lab at the USC ETC. The Consumer 3D Experience Lab researched stereoscopic 3D in the home, on personal devices, in public spaces, in advertising, and in theaters.

Philip Lelyveld joined the ETC@USC after 10 years VP of Digital Industry Relations within Disney’s corporate New Technology and New Media group. He led major entertainment technology initiatives across multiple Disney business units, and represented Disney at multi-studio and multi-industry meetings.

Prior to working in entertainment, Philip conducted earthquake prediction and volcano hazard research in the Aleutian Islands, lead the development of Arco International Oil & Gas’s scientific computing infrastructure, and built the Business and the Environment Program at UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Mr. Lelyveld is available for lectures related to entertainment & media technology trends and opportunities, as well as management briefings, expert witness testimony, strategic planning and business development. He is an advisor to a number of startups in the education, media and entertainment space.